France vs Paraguay: World Cup Round of 16 – Mbappe, prediction, kickoff

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Click here to find out. Who: France vs Paraguay What: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 16 Where: Philadelphia Stadium, US When: Saturday, July 4, at 5pm (21:00 GMT) How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 18:00 GMT before our live text commentary stream. Kylian Mbappe’s France have been the outstanding team so far at this World Cup and will be expected to get the better of Paraguay on Saturday and extend their run to the quarterfinals. France look a very good bet to win their third World Cup, and they are certainly expected to overcome a Paraguay team ranked 41st in the world. After winning the trophy in 2018 and losing the 2022 final on penalties, France are hoping to become only the third team in World Cup history to reach three consecutive finals, after West Germany and Brazil. That remains a long way off but their performances so far suggest they will take some beating. Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat of Sweden in the last 32, in which Mbappe scored twice and Bradley Barcola once, made it four wins in four matches with 13 goals scored. But the Paraguayans head to Philadelphia with their confidence sky-high after their victory on penalties against Germany – which led to a national holiday being declared back home. Mbappe scored twice, and Michael Olise was in scintillating form as France beat Sweden 3-0. The Real Madrid striker finished a superb move to break the deadlock just before half-time. Olise set up Paris Saint-Germain winger Barcola for the second goal on 53 minutes, and then delivered a delightful pass for Mbappe to complete a convincing victory. Mbappe’s strikes saw him move level with Lionel Messi on six goals in the all-star golden boot race at this World Cup. The France captain now has 18 World Cup goals in total, meaning he is just one behind Messi’s overall record of 19, a mark 27-year-old Mbappe will keep chasing. The Germans trailed 1-0 at half-time to Julio Enciso’s 42nd-minute header from Matias Galarza’s cross on Monday. It was a limp display by the four-time winners in the first period, but they drew level in the second half, when Kai Havertz scored eight minutes after the restart with a glancing header from Florian Wirtz’s ball in from the flank. Germany then had a Jonathan Tah goal from a corner ruled out after a VAR review for a foul on Paraguay’s keeper, and with no further goal, the game went to spot kicks after extra time. Havertz, who helped Arsenal end a 22-year wait to win the English Premier League title this season, missed the opening kick of the shootout. The forward’s side would miss three kicks in total, as Paraguay, who themselves missed two kicks, eventually prevailed 4-3. France have enjoyed plenty of success during Didier Deschamps’s 14 years in charge, but for a long time there was a sense that a pragmatic coach was not allowing his team to maximise their attacking potential. Now at his last tournament before stepping down, that appears to have changed. Mbappe, Barcola, Ousmane Dembele and the brilliant Michael Olise seem unstoppable. “There is an excellent rapport between the attacking players. They speak the same footballing language,” said Deschamps after the Sweden game. But France’s coach says his side will not take Paraguay lightly. “They are not here by chance. Germany are a top side, and they have that South American DNA, which means they get stuck in,” Deschamps said. “And they have good players too. You can’t just qualify for the last 16 of the World Cup like that by chance.” One Paraguayan player well-known in France is Julio Enciso of Strasbourg, who scored against Germany. He recognises that few people will expect Paraguay to win as they aim to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup for just the second time. “We also have our own strengths, and with our style of play, we’re going to try to make things difficult for any opponent,” said Enciso. One potential opponent for both teams is the weather, with temperatures in Philadelphia set to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98 Fahrenheit) on Saturday. This match will take place in the city where the American Declaration of Independence was signed 250 years ago, but celebrations for the occasion are at risk of being affected by storms. France have already played in Philadelphia in this World Cup, and their 3-0 win over Iraq during the group stage was interrupted for two hours because of rain and thunder. Coping with the conditions could be a challenge, and both sides will want to avoid the draining prospect of extra time and penalties. The last meeting of the countries at a World Cup featured extra time and turned out to be one of the most pivotal moments in the modern history of the French national team. On their way to winning the trophy for the first time on home soil in 1998, Les Bleus – with Deschamps as captain – edged Paraguay 1-0. To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here. The Opta supercomputer gives France a 78.8 percent chance of winning in regulation time, while Paraguay are at 7.6 percent. The model estimates a 13.7 percent probability that the game will go to extra time. The two countries have faced each other five times, with France winning three of the games and two ending as draws. France beat Paraguay 5-0 in their most recent encounter – a friendly in 2017 – in which Olivier Giroud scored a hat-trick. Neither side has any suspensions or reported injury concerns. France’s predicted starting XI: (4-2-3-1): Maignan (goalkeeper); Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Tchouameni, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe Paraguay’s predicted starting XI: (4-3-3): Gill (goalkeeper); Caceres, G Gomez, Canale, Alonso; Galarza, Cubas, D Gomez; Almiron, Avalos, Enciso Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: